Is Michelle Obama really that uneducated when it comes to nutrition? How can she claim that too many potatoes are being consumed by women and children? Cite some sources for me please. Maybe I should introduce you to Dr. John McDougall, who would not agree with your statement. I think it’s a great idea to include potatoes in the WIC program. Potatoes do not make you fat. Eating potatoes prepared in oil or slathered with butter will lead you down the road to obesity. All it takes is a bit of education when it comes to nutrition and you can learn what you should be eating. Don’t hate the potato. “This conflict over the potato shows how backwards ideas can become when money is at stake” (source).

It’s unfortunate that misinformation and myths continue to make media headlines. Many Americans rely on meat for protein and dairy for calcium, while potatoes are nothing but empty calories and fattening. The potato has been a staple of civilizations, first being cultivated in South America as far back as 13,000 years ago. Spanish conquistadors brought the potato back to Spain in 1570, where it slowly spread through out Europe. “The most dramatic example of the potato’s potential to alter population patterns occurred in Ireland, where the potato had become a staple by 1800. The Irish population doubled to eight million between 1780 and 1841 — this, without any significant expansion of industry or reform of agricultural techniques beyond the widespread cultivation of the potato” (source).

This is my little corner of the Internet I call home since 1999 when I first developed The 6th Floor to support my out of control online gaming habit. Over the years, the site has undergone some changes in what I write about from PC and console gaming to TSA and airline security to amateur radio, health topics and my passion for living a plant based lifestyle.